Sheila Lowe is the author of the Forensic Handwriting psychological suspense series and the Beyond the Veil paranormal series. Her most recent book is Maximum Pressure. You can find out more about her on her website, www.sheilalowebooks.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here.
Growing up in a religious cult, I was not allowed to make ‘outside’ friends or participate in sports or clubs at school.
When I graduated from Anaheim High School in 1967 I knew only a tiny handful of my nearly 900 Senior classmates (the ones who were also in the cult). I can’t say it bothered me much, as it’s all I knew, and I was brainwashed. But on my 35th birthday I was kicked out of that religion and as a result, shunned by my entire social circle.
To be suddenly thrust out into the world on my own with three children under eight years old was devastating, and more than once I contemplated taking the most drastic step of all and ending my life. But those children needed me, and apparently, I was stronger than I thought. When I got news of the fifteen-year reunion of the Class of 67, I showed up to that and the other 20th-year events. Honestly, I don’t remember much about either of them—I certainly didn’t know anyone—but I decided it was about time that I changed.
So, I volunteered for the 25-year reunion committee.
I made a couple of good friends as we worked together, but I learned that the popular kids still hung out with the popular kids, and were not interested in expanding their circle. Every reunion I dragged my husband to, I asked myself, ‘why am I here?’ But something kept me going back and staying on the committee. I became the person who still keeps the contact info on that huge class, as many as we can track down, and I post about who has died.
Once my Claudia Rose forensic handwriting books started getting published in 2007, some of my classmates began reading them and getting to know who I was. Fast-forward to the 55-year(!) reunion. I kept hearing, “Hey, you should write about a murder at a reunion.”
I was so pleased to actually be recognized that I said, “Okay, I will.”
Shortly after I made that promise, I was invited to moderate the panel at the Anaheim Library Foundation’s Mystery Author Luncheon. Several classmates chipped in for a table, and when I donated a character name in the book, they paid $350 for it. We spent the lunch discussing who I might kill…on paper, of course.
The 9th Claudia Rose forensic handwriting mystery, MAXIMUM PRESSURE, is the result.
The book was released in July, 2024. This year, my class turns…gulp…75, and last weekend we threw ourselves a birthday party in Idyllwild, an incredible mountain village in Southern California. It was the most fun I’ve had at any reunion. I was no longer invisible like I was both in school and for so long after. I’d had real conversations and made real connections. And of course, I was thrilled to find that many of the sixty or so attendees had read the book and liked it, or wanted a signed copy then and there.
Getting kicked out of that religious cult was the best thing that ever happened to me.
As Virginia Woolf said: “Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
I’m happy to report that the freedom of my mind is intact.
What a fascinating post, Sheila. We never know what life experiences will lead to a book down the road. And I loved the clarification about plotting a murder on paper. 😉 I look forward to reading your books! 🙂
Thank you, Kathleen. And I look forward to reading yours! ☺
Terrific post, Sheila! I love learning more about your life and the changes over time. Yes, I’m sure that getting kicked out of that cult was very good for you! I love your books and have this one on my TBR list! Very best wishes!
Thanks, Margaret. Yes, thank goodness my angels dragged me out! I love your books too, and look forward to reading your latest.
I love all your books, including this one. Knowing you as I do, I’m amazed that you remained in the cult as long as you did. Your brilliant mind has certainly made up for lost time. I’m glad our paths have crossed, and I treasure your friendship.
Aww, Saralyn, thank you, and same to you. And when you have something pounded into your head from age 7, it’s really hard to unbelieve. The cult published in their literature a line I’ve used in one of my books (the one about a religious cult, lol): “Brothers, we would not want to engage in independent thinking.” It took 15 years to unlearn that.
Sounds like a winner! Congratulations on your internal freedom and how happy that you’re now one of the cool kids!
Hah! I’ll never be one of the cool kids, lol.
Wow, what a story. It would be interesting to see some handwriting from the kids and cult members in your class from those days. How much did their handwriting predict who they were and what they would turn out to be?
I have a few samples from those days, but handwriting can’t predict the future, it just reveals the person as they were at the time of writing. My handwriting back then is very different from what it is now. Handwriting changes as we grow and change.
That’s quite a story about your life’s journey to this point, Sheila! Thanks for sharing it. And I love the Woolf quote. I applaud your strength and determination to become the person you were meant to be–with a mind, heart, and soul that you direct. I’m so glad to have gotten to know you through your books and in our Blackbirds Flock, where you will always be popular.
I loved that quote, too. I’m happy to know you a bit, too. It’s a nice thought, but I’m more likely to always be invisible
I think that many of us feel invisible most of the time. But we are divisible to those who love us!
Good point!
Holy moly, Sheila! Every time you tell a story I find out a new, scary, fascinating fact about you! I can’t wait to read Maximum Pressure!
I hope a million people feel the same way, lol.
Yowza—you’ve had quite the journey! I thoroughly enjoy your books, and MAXIMUM PRESSURE is no exception. Here’s the review I posted after reading it: “A captivating thriller that keeps readers on their toes. Lowe’s seamless storytelling and richly developed characters make this book a must-read. The meticulous attention to detail, heart-pounding action, and emotional depth create an engaging story from start to finish. Looking for an enthralling read? Maximum Pressure delivers.”
Thanks so much, Laurie, you are more than kind. That’s a review worth sharing.
Here’s what I wrote about Maximum Pressure:
Claudia Rose attends her high school reunion and comes away with two mysteries: the long unsolved case of a missing classmate that pulls her back into the world of mean girls and their acolytes, and the death of an old teacher who might or might not have had too much to drink. Claudia is a dynamite sleuth and an intriguing character. Her skills as a forensic handwriting analyst and Sheila Lowe’s dark imagination again kept me turning the pages long past bedtime.